Mr Perfect
by NintendoGal55
Summary: Lyle Samuel is the new kid in school, and is...well, a male version of Lila. He's absolutely perfect. Helga gains a crush on him, much to the dismay of Arnold, who becomes very jealous. The tables turn and turn...
1. Part 1

**This is dedicated to the super special awesome SuprSingr, who has some awesome fics, and writes one of the best lovesick-towards-Helga Arnold ever! So enjoy your little gift from me, sweetums!**

**Whoo! Here we go, people. :D This is an idea that literally just popped into my head today.**

**We all know when Lila came into the show, she was just "ever so" perfect. And Arnold of course later liked her liked her. **

**So...what if the same situation happened, only this time, it was a with a boy? A boy who is just like Lila. And this time, it's HELGA who actually gets a crush on him! D: Oh NOES!**

**But fear not! Of course Arnold is still her true love! It's just she's older now, and of course, he reminds her of Arnold in some ways. Plus, she ends up using this to her advantage to make Arnold jealous!!! XD**

**Oh, but that's not all.**

**We're going to be dealing with a lovesick, jealous Arnold! :D Yay!**

**And one last thing. Mr. Simmons will be teaching sixth grade. XD Because I just love Mr. Simmons. I really do. :D**

**XD**

**All Characters belong to Craig Bartlett**

**Lyle Samuel is a creation of mine, though not officially, of course, it's just for this story or any other that may involve him.**

--

It was a day like any other, as usual. Not much to say about that. But of course, this was a day where things were undoubtedly going to change. Not that anyone would know, until it happened.

On this fine morning, Arnold and Gerald were walking to school together, chatting along the way. They were in the 6th grade now, and twelve years old, and still the same as they had always been. Including the same usual attire! So on this day, was the day things would change forever.

"I'm telling you Arnold, it was the butler who killed the wife!"

"Gerald, you're crazy, it was the cook. He had the most motivation to kill her anyway." Arnold said, shaking his head.

"Well then, we'll just have to see when the movie comes out on Saturday! We're going, right?" Gerald confirmed.

"You bet, Gerald." Arnold nodded. "It should be really-OOF!"

The football-headed boy was knocked to the ground, hearing the surprised yelp of a female, causing him to look up immediately. A soft look came to his eyes and he smiled, standing back up.

"Watch where you're walking, football head!" Helga said, still the same Helga as ever, though she DID mellow out a little over the past three years, and was a bit more on friendly terms with the boys and the rest of the old fourth grade class, but she was still Helga. The only real difference about her was that she wore her hair down or in a ponytail as opposed to her pigtails.

"Sorry Helga." Arnold said sincerely, holding out a hand to help her up.

"Whatever. Just watch it!" Helga said, and walked off angrily. Once out of sight, she smiled big at how Arnold looked at her.

Arnold stared after her for a moment, a lovesick look on his face. Now at twelve, he had quite a crush on her. When she mellowed out and became nicer a lot more often, he couldn't help but like her a lot more. Now that they were on better terms and had fun together as friends, it grew into a little crush.

"Arnold? Arnold? Hey Arnold!" Gerald said, waving his hand in front of his best friend's face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I lost my mind there for a second." Arnold said, shaking his head to get back to reality.

"Please man, you lost your mind a long time ago, on the day you realized you like liked Helga G. Pataki! For crying out loud, will you just ask her out already?" Gerald rolled his eyes and stared at him.

Arnold sighed, shaking his head. "I know I should, Gerald. But there's no way she could ever like me back."

That was only half the truth. The truth was, given her confession to him atop the FTI building when they were nine, he wanted so much to give her what she wanted and needed so badly, but he had no idea how he felt about her. So they moved on, eventually became friends quite a few months ago in the summer, and Arnold developed a crush on her. But it wasn't enough. Especially since her love for him was stronger than he could have ever imagined. He couldn't bear being with her and not truly loving her. So he kept her at arm's length, being friendly with her as always, and would stare at her lovingly in class, at lunch and recess quite often when she wasn't looking. He even had a copy of her school photo that she had given him, and he gave her his, which he kept in a little frame in his room on one of his shelves next to his bed.

Moreover, he really liked her a lot, and while he had a bit of a crush on her, he was sure he just simply liked her as a best friend kind of girl. And on top of that, he thought she was really pretty with her hair down.

"I don't know, man...sometimes I notice Helga makin' those eyes at you if you know what I mean." Gerald told him, winking a bit.

"Nah, couldn't be me." Arnold shook his head. "C'mon Gerald, let's just get to school."

"Whatever you say, Arnold."

--

"Hey Pheebs." Helga greeted her best friend in the hallways of P.S. 118.

"Ohayo, Helga-chan!" Phoebe said.

"No Japanese today, Pheebs, please. My mind's on a reel today."

"Okay, English!" Phoebe smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Excuse me, do either of you know where I can find Mr. Simmons' sixth grade classroom?" Came a voice.

Helga and Phoebe turned to meet with a boy around their age, fairly tall, and very cute. He had short brown hair, bright green eyes, wore a blue and orange plaid shirt and jeans with tennis shoes.

"What's it to you, bucko?" Helga said, scrunching her nose.

The boy smiled. "I'm new here, actually. My name is Lyle Samuel, I just moved here from the country. I'm supposed to be in Mr. Simmons' sixth grade class."

"Oh, welcome to P.S. 118!" Phoebe said. "My name is Phoebe."

"Hello Phoebe, it's very nice to meet you." Lyle smiled, shaking her hand. He cast a smile at Helga. "And who might you be?"

"The name's Helga G. Pataki, and don't you forget it, bucko!" Helga said nastily.

"Helga G. Pataki, that's an interesting name." Said Lyle. "Can I ask what the G stands for?"

"It stands for get the heck out of my face! And by the way, no one tucks their shirts into their pants, bucko!" Helga shot at him, and then walked off in a huff.

Lyle stared after her for a moment and looked back at Phoebe. "Is she always like this?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, she can be a bit rough around the edges. But she's really nice once you get to know her. Oh! Right, come with me, we'll go to class right now, I can show you there."

"Great, thanks very much!" Lyle grinned. He noticed Arnold and Gerald walking by and waved to them. "Hi!"

"Hey, what's up?" Gerald waved back. "Oh! You're the new guy, right?"

"Yep! I'm Lyle Samuel, you guys?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Arnold." Arnold greeted and shook his hand. "Where did you move here from?"

"Oh, I moved from the country, actually." Said Lyle. "...By the way, you wouldn't happen to be Arnie's cousin, would you?"

"Ooh! Small world, man!" Gerald hooted.

"Yeah, that's me." Arnold nodded. "Do you know him?"

"Uh-huh, he's a real interesting kid, that's for sure." Lyle said pleasantly.

"Yeah...interesting...." Gerald said shakily. "Um, so! Let's go to class! You're in our class with Mr. Simmons, right?"

"Yep!"

"I was just about to show him there, actually." Said Phoebe. "I guess we can all go together then!"

Gerald grinned and threw his arm around her shoulders, making her blush and giggle. "We sure can, babe."

"If you want we can show you around during recess and lunchtime, so you can get to know the school a little more." Arnold offered as they all headed to class.

"That'd be great, Arnold. Thanks a lot! Wow, you guys are all so nice here!" Lyle exclaimed happily.

"Hey, it's what we do, man." Said Gerald. "It's what we do."

They all soon came to class, just as it was beginning and Mr. Simmons was writing something on the board. Everyone had already taken their seats by the time they got there.

"All right boys and girls, time to get started!" Said Mr. Simmons. "Before we begin with today's lesson, I want to announce that we have an extra special new student joining us today in our very special class! Everyone, this is Lyle Samuel, he just moved here from the country! Let us all give him a very special welcome!"

"FREE THE ANIMALS!" Curly bursted, and then sat back in his seat, all cool and calm as can be.

"I'll get on that!" Lyle joked with him.

Curly grinned and gave him the Peace sign.

"Lyle, why don't you take a seat? ...Ah, there we go! There's an empty seat next to Helga!" Mr. Simmons pointed.

"Oh great." Helga muttered.

Lyle smiled and took the seat next to her. He looked at her and smiled more. "Hello again, Helga! Listen, I'm really sorry if I offended you earlier like that. I really didn't intend for that. We kind of got off on the wrong foot, and I'm sorry. Can I make it up to you by buying you lunch today?"

Helga stared at him, wide-eyed, unable to believe what he'd just said. No one would ever think to apologize to her, especially for such a minimal thing that wasn't even a big deal, despite that she did act like it was. Only Arnold would ever do such a thing. She had to admit, he was quite a guy...so cute, and so sweet. And those eyes... Those green eyes...

What the heck. It was free food.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm over it anyway." Helga said with a shrug. "Whatever floats your boat."

Sitting two seats behind Helga, Arnold overheard their conversation and for some reason, tensed up. He didn't get it, why did this seem to bother him? He had no reason to be bothered, did he? Of course not!

So then why was he feeling this way?

--

"And here's the cafeteria, I hope ever so much that you'll like the food they have here! Sometimes it's just delightful!" Lila said to Lyle sweetly.

Lyle grinned and nodded. "Well I'm sure it will be!"

Now joined by Lila, Arnold, Gerald, Phoebe and Helga were showing Lyle around the school, and were now at the cafeteria during lunch time. For some reason, Helga just couldn't stop staring at Lyle, or keeping away from him. He was so interesting, attractive, and so sweet. Not to mention incredibly smart, and with an interesting fashion sense, despite its simplicity. So when he went off to get food, Helga went with him.

"Helga?" Lyle questioned. "Why aren't you sitting with your friends?"

"Well, doi, you're getting me food, right? So I figure I may as well accompany you so as to make sure you get what I want." She told him matter-of-factly.

Lyle grinned and nodded. "You're absolutely right, Helga! I should've thought of that."

At their usual table, the gang was talking about the new kid.

"Man, I reckon he's taken a likin' to Helga." Stinky mentioned.

"I think you're right, and she seems to like him, too!" Sid agreed. "She's been staring at him all through class and hasn't left his side more than ten feet all day so far!"

"Maybe she's in looooooooooove!" Harold crooned. "Lyle and Helga, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"I think it's just ever so sweet." Lila said, looking to the two of them. "They would make such an oh so sweet couple!"

Arnold nearly choked on his Yahoo soda, unable to believe what they all were saying. Or more likely, unable to believe why it all seemed to bother him so much. He didn't get it. All morning, seeing Helga so close to Lyle for some reason made him feel...weird. Almost the way he felt back when he liked Lila, but Lila really liked Arnie and he didn't like seeing them together.

_What's so special about him? Sure he's really smart, attractive, very nice and sensitive..._ Arnold thought. _Wait, why am I thinking like that? That's not like me at all!_

"I concur with Lila, they would make a nice couple." Phoebe said as she wiped off her glasses with a cloth and then put them back on. "Helga really seems taken with him indeed."

CRASH!

Everyone's heads shot to Arnold as he accidentally dropped his bottle of Yahoo soda.

"Um, sorry about that, I got a little clumsy there." Arnold said sheepishly, and got down to the floor to pick it up.

Gerald stared at his best friend weirdly, and then got down onto the floor to help him.

"Okay man, what's goin' on? You've been acting weird all morning." Gerald said in a low voice.

"Nothing, Gerald. There's nothing wrong." Arnold replied.

"Nothing wrong? Arnold, you've been staring intently at Lyle and Helga all morning, you can't seem to concentrate, and you always look a little pissed when he makes her laugh or smile."

"That's silly, Gerald. You're imagining things." Arnold scooped the broken glass into a Ziplock bag. "What do I care that Helga seems to really like Mr. Perfect?"

"And there, another thing! You just called someone a nasty name!" Gerald pointed out.

"What? I didn't! Mr. Perfect...that was a compliment!" Arnold protested.

Gerald looked around toward the gang, making sure they weren't listening, and dragged his best friend off to a recycle bin in the corner next to a trash can, where they threw the glass shards away.

"Arnold, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous." Gerald said.

"What? Jealous?! Why would I be jealous!?" Arnold protested.

Gerald pointed toward the gang's table, seeing Lyle pull out a chair and gesture to Helga to sit on it, which she did, and smiled up at him. He grinned back at her and then sat next to her, where they began to...share their lunch with each other! Seeing this made Arnold's heart sink. He and Helga shared their lunch together a lot, it was a little fun tradition between them that they'd come up with a few months ago, and it was a fun little game between them.

Now seeing her do that with another boy made him feel sad, and a little bit miffed. He couldn't believe it.

"Mmm mmm mmm." Gerald said, shaking his head. "Just as I thought, man. You're jealous!"

"I am not jealous!" Arnold protested. "I just...well, the sharing lunch thing was a silly little thing between Helga and I, and then she just goes and does it with another boy."

"It's a free country, she can if she wants to."

"I know, and I don't want her to think otherwise. Still, it was just kind of fun to have something between just the two of us, you know?"

"I understand, man." Gerald nodded. "Come on, you got a crush on her, it's no wonder you're jealous."

"But Gerald, I'm not jealous. It's just a little puppy love crush I have on Helga, it shouldn't bother me." Arnold sighed, looking back toward the happy couple as they were now sharing a chocolate milk. She was opening up to him fast, and getting really chummy. That was quite rare. He sighed again. "I'm going outside."

"What? But you didn't finish eating!"

"I lost my appetite."

Gerald watched his best friend go, and looked back at Lyle and Helga as they shared a conversation with the gang, still drinking the chocolate milk together. He shrugged and went back to the table and sat with Phoebe.

--

A week passed, and the very strangest thing happened.

Helga realized something very strange and surprising. She actually had a small crush on Lyle.

"I can't believe it...I like him like him!" Helga cried at her shrine. "Oh Arnold my love, please forgive me! I could never dream of letting my heart stray from you! But perhaps...it is best that I follow this, and be happy, as you would want me to be...since alas, we cannot be together..." She sighed sadly at this. "Lyle...sure he's not so bad...but he just isn't you, my darling... Oh!! How fate has dealt me with such a bad hand!"

She sat in her closet, trying to consider her options, but fast, since she had to get to school soon. She looked at her shrine, at her locket, and then at the books of poetry she had sitting in a box.

"Arnold, I will do what is best and move on...but know that I will always love you and long for you! If by chance you one day come to me and confess your love, I will come back to you, my dearest." Helga kissed her locket. "I'll give Lyle a chance and see what happens."

She tucked her locket away into her dress and then left her closet to get going to school.

Come to think of it, she realized also, that Lyle was a lot like Arnold.

"Funny...is it because he's so much like Arnold, that I like him?"

--

**Oh noes! D: Helga likes another boy! NOOOOO!!!**

**XD Well fear not, there's more to come! :D**


	2. Part 2

**Well here we go folks! :D **

**This is turning out a bit longer than I'd expected. I believe there will be about three or four chapters to it at best.**

**Enjoy! :)**

**--~~--**

Helga came into school, as per usual, and this time, was on a mission. Or, at least somewhat. She looked around the hallway, and came to find her target. Phoebe, who was chatting with Gerald near her locker. She marched over, going right to her best friend.

"Pheebs, I need to talk to you."

"Huh? What's the problem, Helga?" Phoebe asked.

"Not really a problem, but it's-"

"Hold on a sec, ladies, should I just go?" Gerald cut her off.

"Nah, actually, I could use you for once, Geraldo." Helga said. "I'll need a man's point of view on this."

Gerald raised a brow, a little confused, but gave a shrug. "Well, okay. I'll do what I can."

"What do you need to talk about?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, let's say, hypothetically, I like this guy, and I really want to give him a chance. But let's say, still hypothetically, I have no idea how he feels and though I want to talk to him about this, I'm scared he'll blow me off."

Phoebe's eyes widened. "...Helga, is this about...you know, Ice Cream?"

"Ice cream?" Gerald repeated, confused.

"W-What? No!" Helga blushed. "No, I got me a new one. This one is....let's just call it Smoothie."

"Okay, Smoothie." Phoebe nodded. "So you don't know how Smoothie feels?"

"Kay, what's with all the strange code names here?" Gerald wanted to know.

"Never mind THAT, Tall-Hair boy." Helga snapped. "But anyway, from a man's point of view, do you think a guy would give a girl a chance if they came up and asked them out?"

"Well I can't speak for all guys." Gerald said. "But unless the guy likes someone else, they'll usually accept if they know the girl. Mind telling me who the guy is? I bet I can give you a clearer perspective."

Helga sighed, deciding to just come out with it. Not like she was admitting it was Arnold, right?

"...Lyle, okay?" She said in a mumble.

"Oh, Helga!" Phoebe gasped. "I should have known you liked him! Oh, that's just wonderful!"

"Ah yeah, he's a real nice guy. He'll definitely give you a chance!" Gerald nodded. "He'd be way too nice to say no!"

"I guess I should've figured." Helga said. "Well, um, thanks I guess. I'll, uh, just be going now." She walked off, thinking all this over.

Gerald watched after her, and then turned back to Phoebe. "Babe...who's Ice Cream?"

Phoebe hesitated. "I'm not sure if I should tell you, Gerald. I mean, it's not that I don't trust you, but Helga is...it's a secret."

He nodded. "I understand, Pheebers." He brought an arm around her and smiled. "So what say we head off to class and forget about this whole thing?"

She giggled. "Forgetting!"

--

Later on in class, Mr. Simmons paired everyone into groups of two to work on an assignment. Which happened to be a Marriage Assignment.

"Gerald and Phoebe....Lyle and Lila..."

Helga inwardly cursed at not getting her crush, which she figured would have been a good time to try to find out if he liked her or not. This was not going well at all.

"Curly and Rhonda....Arnold and Helga..."

_YES!!!!!!_ Helga instantly forgot her sorrows. Maybe she didn't get her crush, but she did get her beloved. That was actually ten times better! Oh well, Lyle could wait for now.

An idea came to her then.

She got up, sauntering over to Arnold's desk, placing her hands on his desk. She smirked as he looked up at her with surprise.

"Hey, football head." Helga said flirtatiously. "You ready to get started on this? Oh dear husband?"

Arnold's cheeks turned a little red. "Uh, y-yeah...sure, Helga. I've got the paper here."

Helga smiled, and brought her chair to sit next to him, a little too closely. But that was part of her plan. She glanced toward Lyle to see if he was watching. He wasn't, he was talking happily with Lila as they worked on their project. Pausing, she decided to turn it up a notch. After all, the even better part of all this was that she was getting a chance to flirt with her beloved!

_I just wish I didn't have to do it to make another guy jealous._ Helga thought. She sighed and shook her head.

"Helga?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes...darling?" Helga added the last word with a tint of sweetness.

Arnold felt a rush of blood go to his head and his cheeks got hot. "Um, well, the first question on this is asking where we'll hold the...wedding."

"Mmm...well, why don't we weigh out some options, yes?" Helga leaned closer to him. She smiled, loving at how close she was to her love. "We could have it here in Hillwood, you know, so it'd be easier for everyone to come."

"Yeah, that's true." Arnold nodded. "Although, I guess if we want to try it differently, it would be kind of cool to have it somewhere else."

"You know where I've always wanted to get married? Or, well, one of them? I've always wanted to get married either on a beach, or even better, in Canada. With the gorgeous landscape of the Canadian Wilderness in plain view!"

The blonde boy grinned in excitement. "Wow Helga, that sounds like a really neat idea. I always did like the idea of something like that. My parents they..." Though a sad look came to his eyes, he smiled a bit anyway. "They got married in San Lorenzo, near a water source and not far from the jungle. I kind of like the idea of getting married in the middle of nature."

For a moment, Helga forgot all of her plan, and looked at Arnold sympathetically. "I see what you're saying, I understand. ...Um, hey, listen, I never got to really say this, but...I'm sorry about your parents." She looked away, a bit embarrassed.

Arnold smiled. "It's okay, Helga. Thanks anyway. Um, so anyhow, let's put that down then, we'll get married in Canada."

Going back to her usual register, she nodded. "You know it, football head. Okay, now it says the honeymoon. There are three choices."

"Well Canada should be one of them, since we'd already be there." Arnold said, and snickered. "Where else?"

"Italy, for sure." Helga said.

"Yeah! That'd be a great idea, I've always wanted to go to Italy."

She grinned. "Me too!"

Arnold smiled, and she did in return, and wrote that down also. He then blushed bright pink as she placed her hand on his knee in a flirty, suggestive manner.

"It would be interesting, especially for our wedding night..." Helga said as seductive as possible. Though it was part of her plan, she actually did mean it.

A quick glance told her that Lyle had now glanced in their direction, smiled, and then went back to work.

As for Arnold, he was blushing madly, unsure of what to make of that. Was Helga FLIRTING with him? Whatever she was doing, he...liked it. Sure, it was uncomfortable and unexpected, being in class and all, but deep down, he couldn't help but like it.

"A-Ah...yeah...I-I guess. So, um, where else...could we go...?" Arnold asked nervously.

"Hum...let's see..." Helga paused, tapping her finger against her chin, and not moving her hand from his knee. "Well, let's see...France, no wait, Switzerland. Definitely Switzerland."

Despite her hand STILL on his knee, he nodded quickly in agreement. "Yeah! That would be so cool to go to Switzerland."

She beamed at him, unable to believe how much their interests seemed to match in some areas. Helga sighed happily under her breath, daydreaming of the idea of them getting married and going to ALL those places!

"Okay, now it says where we can live. Where would you want to live?" Arnold asked.

Helga moved her hand away from his knee, much to both their regrets. "Well, I don't know, I always saw myself here in Hillwood. So, say we get a condo or a house or something here?"

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, I agree. Hillwood is definitely where I want to be the rest of my life, for sure. At least until I retire! By then I'd want to live in a quaint little farm house in the country, with a porch swing and a corn field."

Helga giggled. "You're too much, football head."

"Thanks, Helga." Arnold said sarcastically, but he smiled anyway. "So that's down. How about a job?"

"I want to travel the world!" Helga declared. "...Oh, fine. Maybe a lawyer, or even a cabinet minister."

"Those are interesting jobs." Arnold said, and put them down. He liked the idea of her becoming an attorney of law of some sort, she would be great for that job.

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh, I've been thinking about becoming a psychologist. You know, I really like helping people and giving them advice. So that's something I'd want to do."

"Ah." Helga nodded in approval. She could see him as a psychologist, hands down. "And apart from our jobs, we'll travel around the world!"

Arnold smiled. "That sounds like a great idea."

Helga moved closer to him, and smiled flirtingly, brushing her shoulder against his. "I knew you'd think so." She giggled at his light blush. "So, what next?"

"Food, or rather, our daily diet." Arnold said.

"Junk food." Helga smirked.

"That's not healthy." Arnold chided playfully.

"It is now, because I say so, football head."

"Ha ha. Whatever you say, Helga."

"Fine. Anything but strawberries."

"Oh, right, you're allergic, right?"

She smiled a bit, and then nodded. "Yeah." _Aww! He remembered! Oh, the angel..._

"Okay, so we'll have a balanced diet, and yes, we'll squeeze in your junk food from time to time. No need to deprive ourselves." Arnold winked at her. "We can always make up for them."

"You bet your hat, football head." Helga smirked, leaning back in her chair.

"Okay, there's one more question. Kids." Arnold blushed a bit at the idea of that.

"Huh, kids..." Helga paused, considering this.

Back when she was nine, she wasn't too fond of the idea, since it meant she would be sharing Arnold's love, and her love for him. Then again, now that she thought about it, she adored the idea of having a family with him someday. Two or three, maybe four kids.

"Yeah, let's have kids one day." Helga finally said, actually meaning it. "I wasn't into the idea at first, but, now that I think about it, especially after Olga's had her baby last year and I've gotten to babysit....well, it's not so bad."

"Really?" Arnold looked hopeful. "Well, to be honest, I know I'm only twelve now, but I know I definitely want kids one day."

Helga gave a little smile and patted his shoulder. "Then we'll have some. How does three sound?"

"Three is fine, two or three." Arnold wrote that down. "Okay, there we go. We're done."

"Good, finally." Helga took a breath, and then went in for the kill. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Thankfully, no one was looking, except for Lyle, Lila, Phoebe and Gerald.

"H-Helga?" Arnold blushed furiously, bringing a hand to his cheek where she'd kissed him. "W-What was that for?"

She smirked. "What? Can't a friend kiss another friend on the cheek? Hey, _fuhgedaboudit._" She took the paper and went up front to hand it in to Mr. Simmons.

As he watched her go, a lovesick smile crossed his face and he sighed dreamily.

Meanwhile, Lyle and Lila were still working on their questions, all the while having sometimes glanced at Helga as she flirted with Arnold like she was.

"Gosh, those two really have a lot of chemistry." Lyle remarked. "She seems to like him a lot. I can tell by the way she was flirting and smiling at him."

"Oh, I know!" Lila agreed. "They would make an ever so sweet couple." She recalled back when they'd been nine and Helga had told her that she liked Arnold just to get the role as Juliet in the school play so she could kiss him. "I always had a feeling she liked him. By those looks on his face, I think he might feel the same way."

They both giggled and returned to work on their assignment.

Lyle looked at Lila again, and gave a soft sigh as he took in her pretty features. As it all turned out, he was already in love with Lila.

--

Later on, it was lunchtime. As Arnold came to see that Helga was sitting ALONE with Lyle at their own table. His heart sank and he felt as if he had just been shot. He couldn't believe it. All week, he'd been feeling really bothered by those two being together like they were. Especially, upon hearing from Gerald that he and Phoebe had gone out for milkshakes with them. That of course made him inwardly seethe. Their "double dates", or date and friends thing, was their thing!

_Stupid Mr. Perfect, sweeping Helga right off her feet...wait, what am I thinking?! Why do I care so much? I'm not jealous! I just think she can do better. But he's so perfect...no way, no human in the world is perfect. He's just like Lila! And I...oh man, what's going on with me?!_

Arnold sat down with Gerald, unsure of what to think anymore. Gerald noticed his best friend looking troubled, and immediately turned to him.

"All right man, what's wrong?"

"Huh? What?" Arnold looked at him, a bit startled.

"All day you've been acting real weird. All week in fact! Ever since Lyle came into the picture, you've been the picture of unease!" Gerald told him. "Arnold, when are you going to admit that you're jealous of him?"

"I'm NOT!" Arnold cried. "I'm not jealous, Gerald! I just...don't feel comfortable seeing Helga with him."

"Why's that?" Gerald asked, nibbling on some chicken wings.

"I don't know, that's the problem." The football-headed boy sighed. "I mean, Helga's my friend and I care about her, and I want her to be happy, but when I see them together, I just go crazy inside and feel upset."

"Mmm mm mm." Gerald said thoughtfully. "Well man, either you're insanely jealous for ol' Lyle getting all the girls with his sweetness, or..." He gave a little smirk. "You're in love with Helga."

"WHAT?!" Arnold burst, causing a few heads to turn. He blushed and lowered his voice. "That's impossible! I'm not in love with her!"

"You have a crush on her, though."

"Well yeah, but that's different!"

"Arnold, man, deny it all you want, but I've lived through seeing you crush on girls. But Helga...I don't know man, I see somethin' different."

"Gerald...I care about Helga, and I guess I do like her like her, but I'm not in love with her!"

"If you just liked her liked her, you would have accepted defeat when she found another boy, even though you'd be sad about it." Gerald told him. "But no, you're jealous, Arnold. Admit it."

"I'm not!"

"Suuuuuuuure you're not."

--

Meanwhile, over where Lyle and Helga were sitting...

"Go out with me." Helga said bluntly.

"Huh?" Lyle's eyes widened in surprise.

"I said, go out with me. ...I think I like you, okay?!" Helga said, nervously and fiercely. "I want to give you a chance!"

Lyle gaped at her, not sure what to think of this. He did have a small crush on Helga, because her ferocity and passion really attracted him to her, but he liked Lila a lot more. He also didn't want to be mean, in fear that she would go ape on him if he said no. Plus, he had a hard time saying no.

"Well, okay, Helga." Lyle said nervously, but he smiled. "I don't see why I can't give you a chance too. Would you like to go get a milkshake at Slausen's after school?"

She nodded quickly. "Fine, fine! We'll do that then. Could you excuse me?"

Lyle nodded, and Helga fled from the table, going over to where Phoebe was sitting.

"It worked, Pheebs! We're going on a date after school!"

"Oh Helga, that's great! I'm sure it'll be fun! Where are you going?"

"Nowhere special, just Slausen's."

"Well, it's a good start! Lyle sounds like such a great guy, Helga..."

Gerald, who had been walking by not far from them, overheard their conversation and tensed up a little. Oh boy. He returned to the table, and dragged Arnold out into the hallway, and then outside onto the playground to have utmost privacy. This was not going to be pretty.

"Gerald...what are you doing?" Arnold wanted to know.

"Arnold, what I'm about to say may shock you."

"What? What's wrong? Did Jellybean eat another sock?"

Jellybean was Timberly's cat, who they had rescued a year ago. A few months ago the Johansen had the fright of their life when the orange tabby cat had eaten one of Timberly's socks and ended up having to take him to the vet.

"No, man! Lyle and Helga are goin' out on a date after school today!" Gerald said, deciding not to tell what Helga had told him and Phoebe earlier this morning.

Arnold was gut-punched. Date. Date. That meant Helga liked Lyle, at least enough to go on a date with him. He could never treat her wrongly. He would treat her like a Princess, enchant her with his sweetness and utmost generosity, just as he was, Mr. Perfect. She was incredibly chummy with him. She was by his side so much at school, and often shared her drinks and food with him. In fact, she opened up more to him than she ever had with himself.

That was why she was flirting with him in class today. To make Lyle jealous. That was why she acted so happy. To make Lyle want to chase her. And now he caught her. Hook, line, and sinker. He had to face it. Helga had moved on. She was tired of waiting, and so she moved on.

Helga...despite she still had a shred left of her bullying persona, she was a lot more tolerable and sweet. She was still Helga. He enjoyed hanging out with her more than before, and when she flirted with him at any time, be it minimal or the way she had been doing so today, he liked the feeling, attempting to try it right back. Even if today it caught him by surprise. She let her hair down more often, and he admittedly thought she was really pretty with her hair down. She was open, about her poetry, her dreams in life, her goals, all kinds of things. He could listen to her talk for hours, he enjoyed chatting about random things with her, getting into heated but mature debates with her, walking around town with her, he just loved to be with her. Helga Pataki was always full of surprises. Her tough life wasn't easy on her, but, she was rising through these days and doing her best to make it. He'd always encouraged and supported her as best as he could, and even at one point offered her a shoulder to cry on when things got really tough.

_I can't help it, I've grown to like her so much over the past few years. Helga can be such a great girl, and I love everything about her. ...Wait._

Realization struck him like a ton of bricks.

"Arnold?" Gerald questioned him, waving his hand in front of hi face. "Arnold, you okay?"

"Gerald...you were right." Arnold said glumly, staring at his shoes.

"Huh? About what?"

"I _am_ jealous."

Gerald raised a brow, seeing that there was more to be said.

In a choked voice, Arnold admitted it.

"And I'm in love with Helga...!"


	3. Part 3

"No way, that's so BOSS!"

"Thanks!" Lyle grinned, sipping more of their milkshake. "Gosh Helga, I'm having ever so much fun today with you. I'm glad we decided to do this."

Helga beamed. "Well good, then so am I."

Indeed, she was. Lyle was an amazing guy, very giving, sweet, and above all, very very patient. Though he was a lot like Lila, he just didn't say "ever so" or "oh too" every two words. His family worked with charities, and had founded their own charity group known as Help & Save, and had traveled to different third-world countries to build schools, homes, hospitals, make wells, and of course donate food and other items.

"So where are your folks headed next?"

"Oh, San Lorenzo, I think. It's a country down in Central America." Lyle said thoughtfully.

"I know San Lorenzo." Helga nodded. "We studied it a lot in school."

That was true, and she had also pulled out information as well, to try to find out more about the elusive Green-Eyed people, it all came to a head when Arnold told her about his father's journal.

Arnold...

For the first time since their date, Helga thought of her true love, wondering deep down if she was making the right decision. While she really liked Lyle and was having fun, there was a tinge of her that felt this wasn't right. No wonder, she just simply crushed on Lyle while she was in love with Arnold. That had to be it.

So why, despite having a great time, did she feel she would rather not be here with him?

"It sounds so fascinating." Lyle went on. "I wish I could go, but I have school when they go. Oh well, maybe some other time."

"Mm-hmm." Helga murmured, sipping their shake again. "...Lyle...do you think your parents could do a little something else?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Helga?"

"Maybe, I don't know...keep an eye out for Arnold's parents? You know, in case maybe they turn up or something?"

Lyle raised a brow. "Arnold's parents are in San Lorenzo? Really? ...Wait, wait a minute. They wouldn't happen to be Miles and Stella Shortman, would they?"

Helga looked at him with surprise, and then nodded. "Yeah, yeah, they are."

"No way! My dad worked with his dad back in Borneo after they finished college! And then when my parents founded their organization, Stella came and offered to deliver items to San Lorenzo! Then his dad, Miles, helped him run things for a bit, before he too went down to San Lorenzo to continue his studies in Anthropology." Lyle explained. "When I met Arnold, I wasn't sure if he really was their son or if it was a coincidence! But his oblong-shaped head and those green eyes really reminded me of Stella. Well, from photos, I never met her personally."

This was certainly new. Helga couldn't believe what he was telling her. She knew the similarities between both boys were canny, but like this? Amazing. It was no wonder she was so drawn to Lyle!

Helga could feel herself soften considerably, looking down at the counter with a thoughtful gaze. "...That's...that's really neat, Lyle. ...So I guess since your parents know Arnold's parents...would it be too much trouble for them to, well, you know, just keep an eye out for them? No need for huge search parties, although that would be awesome, but just, you know... Arnold's parents have been missing in San Lorenzo for years now, and I guess maybe it would be time to look again."

"I understand, Helga." Lyle told her with a smile. "I'll tell mom and dad to do that and we'll see what happens. ...You know, that's really sweet of you to think of Arnold like that. ...You really care about him, don't you?"

Before she could stop herself, she gave a slow nod. "...I do."

Lyle smiled, nodding also in understanding. "Helga, can I ask you a personal question?"

"I guess."

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I'm just curious. ...Are you in love with Arnold?"

A soft gasp escaped Helga and she looked at him with shock. How had he figured it out? Did he really just say that? Was her actions around Arnold THAT obvious, especially these days since they were friends? Was her flirting with him in class earlier the dead giveaway? Heck, was her love for him THAT obvious?

"H-How do you figure that?" Helga dared to ask.

Lyle smiled. "Well, call me crazy, but whenever you're around him, you always seem so happy and full of life. I've noticed you sending him these really soft and loving looks in class when he's not looking. When he makes physical contact with you, you seem to melt and your eyes sparkle with so much joy. And today in class, you seemed so comfortable and chummy with him, and you flirted with him, you looked so natural and really in love with him. I'm not sure Helga, but all of this and even more tells me that he's not just a friend to you."

What a sweetheart. He wasn't making fun of her, chastising her, or anything like that. He was merely stating some facts and telling the truth from what he saw, being honest with her about his assumption. Like Lila. Helga couldn't help but feel actually comfortable for a change regarding her feelings toward Arnold. He was dead-on, too. With all of that out on the table, she knew she couldn't lie.

"...Oh fine, you caught me." Helga said, looking away again. "...I-I...I like Arnold. A-A lot."

"Huh? Can you repeat that, I didn't hear you."

"I like Arnold."

"You're mumbling, can you say that again?"

Helga trembled, and keeping her voice low but loud enough for him to hear, she faced him. "I like Arnold! I'm head over heels in love with him! I love him so much! Okay!? Happy?!"

Taken aback, Lyle regained himself after a moment and gave a nod. "Okay, okay, Helga. Calm down. I had a feeling that you had strong feelings for him. Is that why you wanted to go out with me? To make him jealous?"

"N-No! No! I wasn't... Lyle, okay, listen. I grew to have a crush on you, okay? But I still love Arnold! I'll never stop loving him! It's just...he doesn't love me back. So when I got a crush on you, I just...took it, okay?!"

"I understand, calm down." Lyle said gently. "To be honest, I did the same."

"...You did?" Helga looked at him.

"Yes. I developed a crush on you, too." Lyle admitted sheepishly. "Thing is...I'm in love with someone else."

Helga felt both relieved, and yet, a little disappointed.

"Who?"

"Lila. You know, Lila Sawyer."

"...The irony of that is sickening!"

"Huh?"

"When Arnold and I were nine...he had a crush on Lila too." Helga said miserably, looking at the counter again. "It lasted a few months, I was so jealous."

Lyle regarded her with sympathy, patting her shoulder. "Gosh, you've been in love with Arnold for a long time?"

Helga nodded. "...Since I was three years old."

His eyes widened. "Oh! Wow. Gosh, Helga...you really have it bad for him."

"Yep." Helga nodded again. "So...you like Lila, huh?"

"Yeah." Lyle blushed. "I'm just...afraid she won't like me back."

"I don't know, she seemed really chummy with you. Then again, she's chummy with everyone within a mile radius...but hey, I think she might like you too. She doesn't stop talking about you." Helga gave a light smirk.

"R-Really?" Lyle asked hopefully.

"Pretty much. ...Okay, so now we're stuck. You love Lila, I love Arnold, you have a crush on me, I have a crush on you. ....What do we do now?"

Lyle smiled at her and patted her back. "I have a feeling you want to be with Arnold more than me."

"...Would you be offended I said yes?"

"Not at all. I mean, I'm in the same boat!"

Helga smiled in relief, and nodded. "Yes. I do. I want...no, I NEED Arnold."

Lyle chuckled. "That's cool, Helga."

"In fact, I have an idea. We're together, and we love Arnold and Lila...so, what say we use all that to our advantage?"

"Huh? I don't understand."

"We'll pretend to date...which won't be too much of a problem since we're friends and have light crushes on each other, and try to make Lila and Arnold jealous, while keeping for signs to see if they like us or not. And since this is a mutual thing, no one is using the other."

"Huh..." Lyle paused, thinking of that. "You know Helga, it might be worth a shot. I think we should try that out."

"So, partners?" Helga smirked, holding out her hand in a business-like manner.

Lyle nodded and took her hand. "Partners."

They shook on it.

"We'll start Operation: Make Arnold and Lila Jealous tomorrow then."

"Gotcha."

--

The next day, Arnold walked to school on his own, so as to be alone with his thoughts for a change. Yesterday's revelation had taken him by surprise, and yet somehow, it was something he had felt all along, but never really knew it. That much he realized. He hadn't told anyone yet, other than Gerald, of course. All night he could barely sleep. This entire thing took him by surprise.

He loved Helga. Helga! Of all people, he loved her. It was something he didn't expect in the least. And yet, here it all was, in plain black and white. He couldn't deny it if he tried.

Helga was the one who made his heart beat fast, Helga was the one who's touch sent him shivers up his spine, everything. He loved everything about her, inside and out. She was wonderful, in her own special way. They'd had some tough times, but over it all, his belief in how she was truly a good person never once wavered. And now look.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Helga coming around the corner so he, once again, crashed into her.

"Oof!"

"Ahh!"

Arnold looked up, blinking as he saw it was Helga. "...Helga?" His gaze softened considerably and a lovesick smile came to his face. He couldn't help it. Since he found he loved her, it was hard not to let the feelings overtake his whole being.

"Arnold?!" Helga exclaimed in surprise. Though unknown to him, she was only faking it.

"Sorry, Helga..." He murmured, and stood up, holding a hand to help her up, which she took and he helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, well, still! Be careful!" Helga said, not letting go of his hand. "One of us could have been hurt!"

"Helga! Oh my love, are you all right?" Lyle's voice rang out as he came running to the two of them.

Arnold snapped out of his lovesick trance and realized what was going on, releasing Helga's hand. He watched with dismay, though he tried to hide it as best as he could, as Lyle came up and embraced Helga. She returned the embrace, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Oh Helga, are you okay? What happened?" Lyle asked in concern.

"I'm fine, Lyle." Helga said sweetly, pulling back to look up at him. "I just had a little accident, but I'm just fine." She looked at Arnold then and smirked. "Oh, did I forget to mention that Lyle and I are, ya know, dating now? Well, we are!"

"You...you are?" Arnold repeated, trying to sound as curious and casual as possible. But he knew it already, she didn't need to tell.

"We are. Helga is such a great girl, don't you think?" Lyle said, laying his head against Helga's.

Arnold's heart sank, feeling the heartbreak and jealousy rise within him more than ever before. He felt ten times more jealous and heartbroken than when Lila had turned out to like Arnie. This must have been how Helga felt all those times he liked someone, especially Lila. No wonder, it didn't feel good at all.

"Sure. Excuse me, I have to get to school." Arnold said, and walked past them, keeping a cool and brave front, despite that his inner self was shattering. And also, he completely agreed with what Lyle had just said.

_Helga IS a great girl. ...And I didn't realize it until it was too late._

The couple watched him go, and waited until he was out of earshot before they separated from each other and laughed a little.

"I think it's working!" Lyle said. "I saw the look in his eyes, he looked like he was about to cry! He was hiding it well."

"Really?" Helga asked hopefully. "So you think he's really jealous?"

"I think so." Lyle nodded. "I don't know for sure, but I have noticed the past few days that he seems uncomfortable when I'm near you."

"Well! Then I guess we'll have to probe further and see how it goes down, eh?" Helga smirked. "And now, how shall we do this for Lila? Hmmm...oh, I think I know." She whispered into his ear...

--

"Whoa! What's wrong with you, man?" Gerald asked his best friend as he sat at his desk next to him.

"Nothing." Arnold replied sourly. "I'll get over it."

"Arnold, you look like you're ready to bash someone's head in and that you're about to have a crying fit all in one." Gerald said, shaking his head. "What's the problem?"

"...Helga's dating Lyle now." Arnold sighed. "And YES, like I told you the other day, I'm jealous, I love Helga."

Gerald gave his friend a sympathetic look and patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, man. I guess as the saying goes, you never know what ya got until it's gone."

"I know that big time." Arnold sighed, palming his face with both hands. "Gerald, I want Helga to be happy, I really do. I feel like such a jerk."

"Arnold, come on man, it's understandable to feel that way when someone you love is dating someone else." Gerald snorted. "I'd feel that way if Phoebe were with someone else. Point is, it's okay to feel upset."

Arnold cast him a sad smile.

"And Arnold...don't worry about it. There's always the chance they'll break up. It's not like they're getting married."

"...True." Arnold agreed.

Gerald nodded. "So there you go. Don't get all upset over it. Who knows, maybe Helga...heh heh...Helga G. Pataki of all people...will fall for you! I gotta say, it'd be crazy for her NOT to be in love with you!"

Arnold sighed a little. That was the problem. She did! Or at least...at one point she did. Now she moved on. He cursed himself for realizing his love for her too late, this was not going well at all.


	4. Part 4

"All right Lyle my man, listen up! If you're gonna attract Lila, you'll need an edge." Helga was saying.

"What do you mean?" Lyle asked.

"Lila apparently has a thing for freaks. Like Arnold's cousin." Helga said, and lowered her voice. "You must have strange tendencies. Do you hang around the kid?"

"All the time. He's one of my friends, believe it or not."

Helga was bewildered, and shook her head. "Right, sure. Well, what strange habits do you have?"

"I collect buttons?"

"Nope."

"Gardening?"

"Nada."

"I like plain-flavoured gum?"

"Close, but no cigar."

"Collecting posters?"

"Not cutting it."

".....I like to collect ear wax." Lyle admitted, looking away.

Helga recoiled. "Ewwwww!!! Well okay, okay, you're good there. That's a start."

"And fingernail and toenail clippings." Lyle added. "I'm really into math, so I count things and do mathematical equations sometimes."

"Err...okay...I-I guess all that can work in attracting Lila." Helga said, still grossed out. "Um, so! Here's what you're gonna do. Talk to Lila in class, all casual and stuff, tell her more about yourself. Trust me dude, she'll go ga-ga for you with this!"

"You think so? I always thought she'd be disgusted." Lyle admitted.

"Nah, she's from the country, I think she can handle it." Helga assured. "You just leave Arnold to me."

"Gotcha." Lyle nodded, and then smiled. "You know, Helga, for what it's worth, I think you and Arnold would make a nice couple."

Helga blushed considerably. "Um, thanks...I-I guess."

"I mean it. And I'll do everything I can to help you two get together."

"Well good! Quid pro quo, I'll help you and Lila, too."

They both shook hands again. From the swings a fair distance away, Arnold watched them in their exchange, and sighed sadly to himself.

This was going to be a long day.

--~~--

Two weeks had gone by.

Two weeks of the agony of seeing the one you love in the arms of another.

Two weeks of pure misery in the regards of love.

Two weeks of jealousy.

Two weeks of wondering what to do.

To try to get his mind off things, Arnold was at the park with a milkshake he had gotten at Slausen's. It was a Sunday afternoon, with clouds overhead promising rain. But he didn't care. It had been two weeks since Helga had been dating Lyle, and by the looks of things, she was positively ecstatic. She talked about him constantly, was glued to his side, turned down invitations to hang out since she had to "spend every waking moment with her beloved", everything a great relationship had to offer.

It was shocking, considering what had happened three years ago.

Had she really moved on? Was it really just a puppy crush?

He wasn't sure anymore. All he knew was that he loved Helga, and was in despair knowing she was taken. He was too late. He blamed himself for this whole situation, for not realizing his feelings sooner. He'd kept her waiting too long, and this was the consequence. He kicked himself, and wondered what he could do about it.

_That's just it. I want Helga to be happy more than anything, she deserves it. If she's happy with Lyle, I should back off and let them be happy. But I also don't want to give her up. Man, what do I do? I love her so much, I realized it too late, and now I'm in a funk._

"Arnold?"

Arnold looked up as the voice addressed him, coming to see Lila standing near the bench. He gave a weak smile.

"Hey, Lila."

"Is something wrong, Arnold? You just look ever so sad." Lila mentioned, sitting next to him.

"No, I'm fine."

Lila shook her head. "Arnold, for the past two weeks, I've noticed that you look less bright and happy. What's wrong? Come on, you can tell me. I'd be ever so glad to lend you an ear."

Sighing, he decided to come out with it, tossing the empty cup into the trash can next to the bench. Maybe it was time he talked about this with another girl, to get a better perspective.

"It's Lyle and Helga. Ever since they started to date, I'd been feeling jealous. Heck, even before they started dating." Arnold admitted. "I'm..."

"You're...?"

"I'm in love with Helga, and I realized it too late."

"Oh..." Lila gave him a sympathetic look and placed her hand on his small shoulder. "Arnold, I'm just ever so sorry. It must be just terrible for you. But if it makes you feel better, I have an oh too familiar situation going on as well."

"Huh?" Arnold looked at her with surprise. "You do?"

"Yes, Arnold. I...I really like Lyle." Lila sighed, looking away. "I didn't at first, I just liked him, but over the past two weeks...I've come to realize that I like him like him. There's just so much about him that I cannot help but really like. When I realized it last week, I knew I was ever so late."

"Oh....wow. I guess we're both in the same boat."

"I guess so." Lila murmured. "You love Helga, and she's with Lyle. I really like Lyle and he's with Helga. Ironic, I suppose."

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, I guess. And thing is, I want to be happy for her, I really do. Since I met her, I've wanted her to be happy, even after all she put me through. She deserves to be happy. I guess I..."

"Just wish you could give her that happiness?"

"Not quite what I meant, but I guess I'll go with that."

The blonde boy looked up at the sky with a forlorn gaze, watching as the rain began to descend, not even caring about it. Lila took the umbrella and held it over herself, offering to share, but he politely refused it.

"I just wish I wasn't too late." He murmured, a tear going down his cheek.

--

At lunch the following Wednesday, Gerald and Phoebe were sitting together as they ate their lunch, and often observing Lyle and Helga as they sat together, looking in pure bliss as they shared each other's lunch, as well as sharing the chocolate milk they had in front of them. Lyle then kissed Helga on the cheek, and she giggled, kissing his nose.

"Man...Helga looks really happy." Gerald mentioned.

"She does." Phoebe agreed. "Lyle has been such a wonderful boyfriend to her."

Gerald nodded, and then looked off in another direction, at Arnold, sitting with the gang. He wasn't eating, he was reading a book. Or rather, pretending to. He kept looking toward Helga and Lyle, looking like he was either about to cry or bash someone's head in. He felt bad for his best friend, he'd never seen him so torn up over a girl like this before. It was worse than his other crushes, especially Lila. He looked at the couple again, and back at the blonde boy.

"Gerald?" Phoebe said, and followed his gaze. She studied Arnold, followed his line of vision as well, and her eyes widened. "Oh goodness."

"Pheebs?" Gerald looked at her, puzzled. "What is it, babe?"

"Gerald... It looks to me that Arnold is disturbed." Phoebe murmured. "Do you know why?"

Gerald shifted in his seat, wondering if whether or not he should tell her. She WAS his girlfriend, he told her almost everything. Then again, Arnold HAD made him swear not to tell anyone he loved Helga, although he might have assumed Gerald would tell Phoebe. Would he care? She was good at keeping secrets.

"Well babe, I guess I can tell you." Gerald said. "He loves Helga, and ever since... well, Mr. Perfect came into the picture and swept her off her feet, he's been pretty darn jealous."

"Oh!" Phoebe gasped in surprise, and yet somehow, she expected it. "Arnold really does love Helga...I assumed that, but I was unsure. The past two weeks, he seemed so sad. Oh goodness. If Helga knew that...she would..."

"Dump Lyle in a second?" Gerald said.

"...Yes." Phoebe admitted. "Oh, Gerald, please don't tell anyone."

Gerald smiled and brought an arm around her waist, kissing her on the cheek. "I won't, Phoebe. I'll keep it a secret, if you do too."

Phoebe smiled back and blushed. "Thank you, Gerald. I will do the same."

--

"Thanks but no thanks, football head. I'm going with Lyle."

"Sorry, but I need to spend time with Lyle."

"Nope! I'm gonna work with Lyle, he IS my boyfriend, after all."

"Forget it, I want to go with Lyle."

"Would you quit it?! I. Want. To. Be. With. Lyle. Now leave me alone!"

"Will you get it through your thick skull?! Lyle is my boyfriend! I have to spend every moment with him!"

"Football head...shove off! I want to be with Lyle! I miss him!"

Rejection after rejection. All he'd tried to do was hang out or do something with her as a friend, just to be near her, since he couldn't be WITH her. But she was growing more adamant and hostile about being with Lyle and no one else. Except for Phoebe.

"How long has this been going on, Arnold?" Dr. Bliss asked gently.

"Ever since she started dating him nearly a month ago." Arnold said with a sigh. "Now she doesn't do anything else except hang out with him. I don't even get a moment alone with her anymore."

Dr. Bliss nodded, noting this down. Deep down, she couldn't believe this turn of events, seeing that Arnold did actually love Helga now, and was jealous of her relationship with Lyle. He'd come to see her today, to talk about this whole thing with a professional and get some answers and guidance. It was working, being able to talk about all this.

"It seems as if she really does love him." Dr. Bliss noted, though unsure of that. "Does it really bother you, Arnold?"

"It does. I mean, I want her to be happy, I really do. But seeing them together, it just makes me go crazy inside. It's not just them dating, it's that now she refuses to even TALK to me. The only person she's with now is either Lyle or Phoebe, and just pushes away anyone else, because she has to be with him."

"Hmmm....I suppose she's been waiting for this a long time, and is latching on to it as much as she can."

Arnold sighed, laying back on the couch, his legs dangling over the side. "I know, I know that for sure now. But it seems kind of unhealthy. It's as if she has no life of her own beyond him. She won't stop rubbing it in my or anyone else's faces, even when someone tries to hang out with her or sit with her or talk with her. I'm worried about that, Dr. Bliss."

"I understand that, Arnold." Dr. Bliss said gently. "You love her, and you're concerned about her."

"That's for sure. ...Dr. Bliss, what do I do? I have no idea how to go about this. I want to back off and be happy for her, but I really love her a lot, and I want to be with her, but it's too late for that. I don't want to give up, but I know I should."

"There's no reason for you to give up, Arnold. It's not as if they're getting married or anything, there is still a chance they could break up."

"Please, she's practically planning their wedding." He muttered under his breath.

Dr. Bliss chuckled lightly, and retained her professional front. "The best you can do, Arnold, is to just stay back, and continue to be her friend. Maybe one day you'll get together with her. If not, don't worry, there are plenty of other girls out there."

"That's true." Arnold agreed. "But I'll never find another girl like Helga. She's one in a million."

She gave a soft smile. "I understand, Arnold."

"But you're right. I should just stay back and try being her friend. ...But she IS my friend. I don't seem to be hers."

"That might be a problem." Dr. Bliss said. "Give her some time and space, maybe she will come to you. Or as an alternative, you can even approach her and gently remind her that you are still her friend and will be there for her when she needs it. Perhaps she'll come around."

"I could try." Arnold said, nodding. "I hope this all works out, Dr. Bliss. I want Helga to be happy, I really do. I just hope I can get over it soon." His eyes began to moisten and he looked down at his lap. "...I love her so much."

Dr. Bliss looked at him with sympathy and went over to sit beside him, patting his shoulder. "I know, Arnold. But don't worry, I'm sure everything will work out in the end. For both of you. You just have to do what you can, to overcome the obstacles."

He nodded again. "You're right. I shouldn't let that stop me."

She smiled again. "You can do it, Arnold. It may not be easy, especially at this stage of the game, with things the way they are, but I promise you that you will be surprised along the way."

Looking at her with a grateful smile, he gave her a little hug. "Thanks a lot, Dr. Bliss. I needed this."

"No problem, Arnold." Dr. Bliss patted his back. "It's my job. Is there anything else you want to discuss? We still have about twenty minutes."

"Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea."

Dr. Bliss smiled and returned to her chair, readying her clipboard as Arnold gathered his thoughts and began to speak some more.

--

"No, I want to go myself." Helga said curtly.

Lyle looked at her with surprise. "But Helga...I want to walk you home."

"No. Please, not today." Helga walked away from him again.

"Helga, wait, please!" Lyle went after her. "I can't take it, I'm in love with you!"

"WHAT?!" Helga screeched, turning around in shock. "But...but how?! You're supposed to be in love with Lila!"

"I-I am...but I love you, too!" Lyle cried, grabbing her shoulders. "Over the past month, I've just enjoyed being with you so much, my crush intensified. Helga, please, let's make it official."

Helga pulled away from him, shocked, angry, confused, and surprised. "Lyle, no! I can't do that! I don't...I don't feel that way!"

"You have a crush on me, right? Well, can't you give it a chance?"

"I have been, Lyle! But, I just don't love you. I love Arnold!"

"Helga...I understand, but, please, you have to forget about him. He obviously doesn't see what a wonderful, beautiful girl you are. You poured your heart out to him and he didn't even reciprocate. Helga...I love you so much, you're a wonderful girl, you really are. Please, forget about him. He doesn't deserve you. You deserve so much better." Lyle begged. "I love you Helga, please, be my girlfriend."

Before Helga could move away, his lips were on hers in an instant, enveloping her. She was unable to believe this was happening, some other guy confessed he loved her, and was now kissing her. Was he right? Could Arnold, her beloved, really not love her back? It would explain why three years went by and nothing changed. At least, not romantically, since they were friends. ...Or at least, WERE friends. She blew him off every time he approached her, and now he didn't even look at her.

She did deserve better.

Helga threw her arms around him and kissed back, feeling so much better than before. Lyle was the one who loved her, and was there for her, and treated her like a Queen. This was what she wanted, deserved. And he was just like Arnold, right? So it was perfect. He was perfect.

Mr. Perfect.

The two parted, and smiled at each other.

"So will you, Helga?"

"...Yes. I'll be your girlfriend, Lyle...I think I can really grow to love you."

"Oh Helga!!!!" Lyle cried happily, hugging her to him tightly.

Over Lyle's shoulder, Helga felt her blood run cold.

Standing at the end of the sidewalk, was Arnold. He looked shocked, frozen in place, his jaw dropped. Their eyes met, and she saw the look of pure sadness, sorrow, longing, and above all, heartbreak. Before she could take this in, his head drooped, his shoulders shook, and then he disappeared around the corner. Helga frowned. What had just happened?

"Helga? Are you okay?" Lyle asked, releasing her.

"H-Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. ...Walk me home." Helga said under her breath.

Lyle grinned in pure bliss and put his arm around her, leading her home.

--

**Sorry guys, but I love LylexHelga way too much now. ArnoldxHelga is still cute, but...Lyle and Helga are just perfect for each other. Don't you think? Oh GOD, they are just so hot together! Please, everyone who reads this, make more LylexHelga fanart! Make LylexHelga fanfics! Hell, can you contact Craig Bartlett and have them change Arnold into Lyle? PLEASE! I am desperate for this pairing!**

**OH WHO THE HELL AM I KIDDING?!**

**SHOVE OFF, LYLE! YOU SUCK!!!! HELGA BELONGS WITH ARNOLD! HELGAXANYONE THAT ISN'T ARNOLD IS NOT GOING TO WORK IN MY BOOK! SHOVE OFF!**

**Lyle: B-B-B-B-B-B-B-but!!!**

**You guys didn't actually believe that, do you? XD I totally had to do that. FEAR NOT!**

**Nothing, and I mean nothing, could EVER replace ArnoldxHelga. NEVER! They're meant for each other, and I am quite adamant about the pairing. Lila, Timberly, TAKE A HIKE! Sorry folks, but it is always going to be AxH for me. **

**ANYWAY, so at the last minute, I put in a plot twist. To make the story more intense.**

**And don't worry, there WILL be the happy ending. :D**


	5. Part 5

**THE SAGA CONTINUES!**

**Oh, oops, sorry, this isn't Dragonball Z. XD**

**Anyway, so here we go! Let us see how this all turns out!**

--

"Hey Arnold! Your grandpa said you'd be up here and-...Arnold? What's wrong?" Gerald's excitement melted away immediately.

Arnold sat on his bed, looking absolutely miserable. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had tear stains on his face. He looked at Gerald and wiped his face with his green sweater.

"I'm not feeling too well, Gerald. I'm fine." Arnold replied.

"No, you're not." Gerald went over and sat beside him on his bed. "What's wrong? You look ten times more miserable than before."

Sighing, Arnold just took his pillow and squeezed it tightly. "...Helga loves me."

"Huh?!" Gerald jumped, nearly falling over. "Say what?! How do you know that?! When?"

"Yesterday." Arnold said sadly. "...But that's not the problem. She loves Lyle now, or at least, is going to stay with him to try."

"What?! What do you mean? What happened?"

"I was on my way home from seeing Dr. Bliss, and I saw Lyle and Helga on the sidewalk. I didn't hear what they were saying at first, so I approached and got closer to see what they were talking about. And I heard everything, when Helga said she loved me. But then Lyle convinced her that he loved her so much, and to forget about me, because I didn't deserve her. Then he kissed her, and she kissed him back, and said she would grow to love him...." Tears ran down his face, his shoulders trembling. "She saw me, and I ran off, I couldn't let her see me like that. I was so pathetic, and he was right, Gerald! He was right! I don't deserve her."

Briefly he then told Gerald the truth, about the FTi incident and Helga's very passionate confession that had taken place. All the while, tears flowed out of his eyes like a waterfall, and he felt like he'd been stabbed with a knife. Gerald listened, patting his shoulder sympathetically.

"Arnold...man, I don't know what to say." Gerald said. "I'm so sorry. But you're wrong, man. You DO deserve Helga. Maybe what happened back then was a little too soon for you."

"No! You don't understand! I should have tried to do something! I should have sat her down to talk about it! Now thanks to me being so stupid and scared, I lost the girl I love!" Arnold burst, and then calmed down. "I don't know what to do anymore, Gerald. I love her so much, and now I really lost her for good. I figured I'd have a chance if they ever broke up, but now I can see that will never happen. I blew it, Gerald. And I have to accept it."

Gerald gave a sigh, patting his back lightly in comfort. "I'm sorry, Arnold. This really must suck. Will you be okay?"

"I hope so. I guess I just need time."

"I understand. You want to be alone for a while? I'll go downstairs and watch TV for a while."

"Okay. I'll be down in a while, Gerald."

Gerald smiled and got up, going to the door, and then left the bedroom.

Once he was gone, Arnold took a small photo from his shelf, a photo of Helga. He looked at it mournfully and sighed, his shoulders trembling again.

"I love you, Helga...and I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything."

The blonde boy cried a little while longer, silently, not even knowing that the very girl he was thinking about was doing the same.

--

"Arnold, my love...even now, I still love you..."

--

The next day, Arnold was just coming into school, deciding to face it all, even if he was sure he would not have a good day.

Still, today was full of surprises.

"Arnold?"

As he came to his locker, Arnold turned around and came to see Helga, looking just as normal as can be, in her usual attire, pigtails, her bow on her head. Despite everything, his love for her came through and he felt a warm feeling upon seeing her.

"Helga?" He looked up at her with surprise, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"Well doi, I was just going to tell you that. Listen, I'm...s-sorry...okay? I'm sorry I've been so mean and blowing you off. I've just been so happy with Lyle, that I'm not thinking straight, okay? Can you blame me? But listen, like I said...s-sorry. Can we still be friends?"

Taken aback by her apology, and how she still wanted to be friends, Arnold was silent for a few moments, drinking it all in. He blinked, and then managed to smile warmly at her.

"Of course, Helga. Let's just forget about it. I'd love to be your friend again." Arnold smiled, despite how much he wanted to be more than just her friend.

Helga gave a little smile and then hugged him. "Thanks, Arnold."

His eyes widened at her sudden gesture of affection, but within a few moments he melted and hugged her back. Oh, how good it felt to hold her like this. She was so warm, and smelled like flowers. He held her closer, closing his eyes.

Helga didn't move, she just hugged him, having laid her cheek on his head, feeling the softness of his hair. When he hugged her back AND pulled her closer, she felt like she was in pure heaven. Who was she kidding, she could never stop loving Arnold, no matter how Lyle was to her. Frankly, right now, she didn't care about him. She just wanted to be where she wanted, in Arnold's embrace.

_I love you, Helga..._

_I love you, Arnold..._

They stayed like this a few moments longer, not even noticing or caring of the students passing them in the hall. Finally they parted, and their eyes met, their gazes locked.

"I'd...better go to Lyle now." Helga said.

"Helga, wait." Arnold gently took her hand.

"What?"

"Helga, I..." Arnold hesitated, and looked at her again, coming closer to her. "I'm so sorry."

Before she could reply, he leaned up on tiptoe, and his lips met hers. It wasn't the most romantic place or the most romantic time, but he couldn't bear it any longer. He had to express his love to her, even for just one, fleeting moment. All the while, he pressed something into her hand, and kissed her gently, sweetly, pouring his love into it.

A few moments later, he pulled back from her, let go of her hand, and then hurried away. Before she could call after him, she felt the thing he had pressed into her hand. Curious, she opened her hand, coming to find a piece of folded paper. She unfolded it, seeing a simple message written there.

_**I love you, Helga. And I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you, since I had no idea if I did or not. But now there's no doubt in my mind. I just wanted to let you know of it.**_

_**I wish you and Lyle all the best. He was right. You do deserve better. I'm glad there is someone who can give you the love you need and want, you deserve it, Helga. I want you to be happy.**_

_**Please be happy. And know that I will always love you, and I'll always be your friend.**_

Helga's eyes widened, and she read the note over and over again, as if checking to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. It was true. Everything written on the paper was exactly as she read it. Arnold loved her, but was willing to let her and Lyle be happy together, and he was sorry, everything. For so long she longed to hear those words, but now it was too late.

Still, he was so sweet about it, since she now had Lyle. She couldn't help but be overwhelmed with warmth, peace, and love. It reminded her once again why she loved him so much.

"Oh Arnold..." Helga uttered, tears pouring down her face as she held the note to her chest, against her locket where it was tucked into her inner pocket. "I love you too, football head...I love you so much, and how sweet of you to hand me over to Lyle... I'm so sorry, darling...I never knew this would break your heart."

"Oh, Helga my love!" Came the cheerful voice.

Helga quickly tucked away the nose into her pocket with her locket, wiping her eyes as Lyle came up to her.

"Hey." She said plainly.

"Helga, you know, this will be our first official date as a couple! Let's go out to Chez Paris tonight!" Lyle said, leading her to class with his arm around her waist.

Helga recoiled, and shook her head. NO WAY was she going to eat there, not the most important restaurant to her and to Arnold.

"Um, I don't like it there. Let's go to Chez Pierre instead."

"Oh come on, Helga, let's go to Chez Paris!" Lyle insisted.

"NO! We are NOT going there! Anywhere but there, bucko!"

Lyle jumped, letting go of her, staring at her with surprise. "Oh...okay, okay, I understand. I'm sorry, Helga, I didn't mean to force you. We'll go somewhere else."

Helga smiled in relief. "Good. Sorry about that, it's just...I didn't want to...think... about Arnold, since we've eaten there before, and I gotta, forget him and stuff."

"Of course, Helga. I understand. That was insensitive of me. Would you like to go for Chinese instead?"

"Works for me."

--

Later on, in class, Mr. Simmons was explaining the class's next project, all the while earning no attention from two students in particular.

Arnold was doodling in his notebook, writing Helga's name several times, along with hearts, little A + H in hearts, on and on. He sat, expecting her to be throwing spit balls his way. But she hadn't done that since fifth grade. Still, he looked over his shoulder to where she sat, staring hard into one of her books. Her expression was bored, but her eyes were telling a different story. They looked sad and longing as she stared into her book. A tug came to his heart, and figured she must've been suffering over not sitting next to Lyle.

He sighed, turning back to face the front. This was going to be a long day.

Still, he couldn't help but smile a little as he thought about the little kiss he had given her earlier. Granted, it was probably a stupid move, but he had to do it, to tell her goodbye, to tell her this was what he should have done a long time ago, that he was sorry, everything. He wanted for one moment to express his love, and to give her one last little kiss shared between their lips. She had been stiff as a board, he didn't hold it long enough for her to respond, no matter how much he wanted to kiss her longer. He knew he couldn't. She was Lyle's girlfriend, whether he liked it or not.

Hugging her too, was a bonus. So despite the immense sadness and heartbreak he was feeling, he did feel a little lift of happiness from having been able to hug her and give her a kiss.

"All right! We are now going to set you up in pairs! Gerald and Phoebe, Harold and Rhonda, Curly and Eugene, Lyle and Lila, Arnold and Helga..."

"Mr. Simmons!" Lyle suddenly called out.

"Yes, Lyle?"

"If it would be possible, could I by chance work with Helga instead?"

"Lyle, I appreciate your enthusiasm to work with Helga, but I'm afraid that-"

"Please, Mr. Simmons! I have to work with her...I-I love her! And I cannot bear to be apart from her for more than five minutes! Please Mr. Simmons, I really want to work with her!"

Helga gaped at him, sinking low in her seat. He couldn't believe he just did that! Announcing his love for her in front of the ENTIRE class?! How dare he! All the kids, except Arnold, Gerald, Phoebe and Lila all laughed out loud, hooting and whistling at him with approval.

Angry, Helga stood and walked over to him.

"FORGET IT, Lyle! Now you shut up and work with Lila like a good school boy while I work with Arnold!"

"B-But sweetheart, I only wanted to work with you, buttercup!"

"For crying out loud, just stop!" Helga yelled, and everyone laughed some more. She marched over to Arnold's desk, shooed Gerald away, and sat down in his place.

"All right, football head. Let's get to work, shall we?"

Arnold blinked, both shocked by the outburst, and also, that Helga wanted to work with him, even after Lyle, her BOYFRIEND, wanted to work with her. A hug from her, a kiss to her, and now working with her?

At least he could be near her for a while.

"Sure, Helga." He smiled, beaming at her.

Helga smiled back at him, and went to go get her things so that they could get started.

At least she could work with her beloved now.

Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

--

"Ohhhhhh schmoopsie-poo!"

"Eh?!!!" Helga uttered in terror, her eye twitching.

"Oh Helgie-poo, you're so adorable when you're all surprised!" Lyle laughed. "Come on my kinder-strudel, I'll walk you home!"

"Huh?! Whoa whoa whoa, what's with all these stupid nicknames?!" Helga cried, pulling away from him.

"Oh Helga, I'm only showing you how much I love you, sweetiepie! Now then, let's go and I'll walk you home!"

"Er...um....well, actually Lyle, I uh...I can't, because...."

"W-Why?" Lyle uttered, looking ready to cry.

"Because...um...." Helga then noticed Arnold walking toward them. She beamed visibly at her beloved and immediately grabbed him over. "Because Arnold already offered to walk me home!"

"I did?" Arnold squeaked, confused.

"He did?" Lyle asked.

"Yes he did!" Helga said, and nuzzled her cheek against his, feigning it to be a friendly action. "Oh Arnold, my super special awesome best guy friend! You were so sweet to offer to walk me home!"

Arnold's gaze became lovesick and his eyes half-lidded as Helga nuzzled her cheek to his, her arm around his head and his middle. He cooed dreamily under his breath, though neither of them heard, or could see his expression.

"Yeah, sure Helga..." He said softly. "No problem..."

"B-But..." Lyle protested. "Helgie-poo! We have a date tonight! I should walk you home!"

"I'll meet you at Mei Ling's Chinese place at six! Sheesh! Come on, Arnold!" Helga grabbed his hand and dragged him out the doors before Lyle could protest any further.

Once outside and down the block, Helga took a breath and let go of Arnold's hand, allowing them to walk normally together. Both of them were silent, unsure of what to say of the whole situation, and also, inwardly basking in the fact that they were walking together.

"Um....hey Arnold, ya know, sorry about that."

"About what?"

"Suddenly making you walk home with me. It's okay! You don't have to! We can just go halfway and then we can go our separate ways!"

"What? No, no! Helga, it's okay. I don't mind walking you home. I want to." Arnold said kindly.

Helga breathed in relief. "Well...all right then, whatever floats your boat."

"But, why did you do that, though? I figured you would jump at the idea of walking home with your boyfriend." This was said with undisguised contempt.

"Are you kidding me?! He's been showering me with all those stupid nicknames, putting poopsie or something at the end, using stupid...ugh. It all affected my stomach more than my heart! I like a few romantic nicknames, but sheesh!"

Arnold blinked, and gave a light nod. "Yeah, I understand, Helga. I wouldn't do that. I mean, sure, I think some names are cute, but even I wouldn't go that far."

Helga giggled. "Nah, I don't think you would. But you do have a tendency to recite poems in the names of your crushes and charm them!"

"Hey!" Arnold protested, but he grinned. "I don't!"

"You do too, football head."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"AH! You admitted it!" Helga smirked, laughing, her finger at his nose.

"Huh? Wait...hey! You tricked me!" Arnold accused her.

"Oops. Sorry, football head." Helga kept her playful smirk, not sounding the least bit sorry.

The two of them laughed heartily, and were, once more, enjoying each other's company. So much so, that they forgot all about Helga's date that was to follow in the evening.


	6. Part 6

**Lyle Jackson Samuel! TAKE A HIKE!**

**Lyle: B-But I love Helga! D:**

**TOO BAD! HELGA BELONGS TO NO ONE BUT ARNOLD!**

**Lyle: She loves me too! She's going to forget Arnold!**

**Think again, buttmunch.**

**Lyle: !!!!!!**

**XD Let us move on.**

**--**

"Well, um, you know, thanks for agreeing to walk me home anyway." Helga said, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sorry for roping you into it like that, spur of the moment and all."

"It's okay, Helga. Like I said, I want to walk you home." Arnold smiled. "I can understand if Lyle was getting to be a bit too much for you."

"Oh, tell me about it! Ever since we pretty much said 'I love you', he's been clinging to me." Helga sighed. "I mean, I can get that way too, but even I know better."

Arnold nodded. "Well you had no trouble before."

"Hey!" Helga yelled, and laughed. "Well screw you, football head!"

"When?" Arnold smiled innocently.

"Arnold! What did you just say?" Helga laughed some more, holding her stomach as she walked. "You're supposed to be the innocent one!"

"Jamie-O came home recently, and Gerald kind of hears some things that he says." Arnold replied. "It's weird."

"You don't know the half of it." Helga winked at him.

"I guess not." Arnold chuckled.

It began to rain then, causing the two to stop and look up at the cloudy, raining sky. They both exchanged glances and started to laugh again.

"Oh no, it's raining!" Helga said in mock exasperation.

"Aaahhh, whatever shall we do? Oh the pain of the rain." Arnold joined, unable to keep from laughing.

"Har har, football head." Helga giggled.

"Well thank you." Arnold bowed, and they kept walking.

He then saw that Helga's front stoop was coming into view, which meant soon their little walk would be over. Even in the past back in fourth grade when he'd walk her home, he never much wanted their little walks together to end. He'd always enjoyed walking her home, since they usually engaged in interesting conversations and had little to no arguments with each other.

Now today, upon knowing he loved her, he enjoyed them even more.

Before he could think further, they had reached her front stoop.

"Well...it looks like we're here." Helga said, nervous. "Um, so thanks...again...and stuff."

Arnold smiled. "No problem, Helga. I'm glad to walk you home anytime."

"That's...n-nice of you...and stuff."

They both stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, as the rain fell around them, ceaselessly, and getting harder. Before long, their eyes met and their gazes locked, with a rush of emotion coursing through them, they came closer, and closer to each other.

"Arnold..." Helga murmured.

"Helga?" Arnold said, not moving his gaze.

Her hands came onto his shoulders, preventing him from escaping. Not that he wanted to.

"Kiss me."

The words barely left her just as Arnold's lips were on hers in an instant, kissing her with all he hand. Immediately Helga kissed back and brought her arms around him, pressing her body closer. Arnold was taken aback, but he brought his arms around her waist, reaching up to kiss her as best as he could while she bent her head to assist him.

As it rained harder, the two stumbled up the steps of the front stoop, still kissing hungrily. They fell up against the front door, clutching each other and making out like crazy, audible moans coming from each other, mixing together.

Helga's hand fumbled along the door to find the handle, praying that it was unlocked, and wouldn't you know it, it was. The door opened, and they went inside, breaking apart for a minute to breathe and shut the door.

"Helga...what's going on?" Arnold panted out.

"I don't know anymore..." Helga panted too.

"Me neither." Arnold admitted.

"Do you care?"

"No way."

"Then neither do I."

Clutching each other, they kissed again, stumbling into the living room as they made their way to the couch. They fell up against it, half on top of each other, making out like a couple of tigers in desperate need of nourishment.

--

"Helga my darling, what seems to be the matter?"

Helga snapped out of her trance again, shaking her head frantically. "I'm fine, Lyle. I just have a lot on my mind."

Lyle smiled and patted her hand. "Aww, I understand, Helga. Do you want to talk about it?"

"N-No, it's fine. I'll be okay. It's nothing." Helga waved it off quick.

That was a lie, of course. It hadn't been nothing. Upon getting home, she and Arnold were on the couch making out for about an hour. It was probably the best time of her life, so far. She smiled dreamily, remembering the sweet feel of his lips on hers, his warm hands holding her close, oh how she loved making out with him! She wanted to do it again, and again, and again. But sadly, there was a huge problem in all of this.

~Flashback~

"_Arnold...ohhh Arnold...I love you..." Helga moaned as Arnold's warm, wet lips kissed chastely along her neck. _

"_I love you too, Helga..." Arnold whispered. "I'm so sorry."_

"_No, no, don't you dare be sorry. It's okay."_

"_Still, you deserve better than that."_

"_Shut up and just kiss me."_

_Arnold obeyed, his lips meeting hers again. This time, his tongue traced her lips, and she giddily opened her mouth, their tongues coming into contact. Helga clutched him to her tighter, exploring his mouth and savouring his taste. Oh GOD he tasted so good! Better than good! _

_She tasted like breath mints, along with a taste that just spelled Helga. It was quite addicting. Arnold explored her mouth also, and his tongue met hers in a dominating, challenging dance._

_Before long, they broke for air, panting, and looking at one another with wonder._

"_Helga...what about Lyle?"_

"_Screw him. I want YOU, Arnold, my love..."_

_Arnold looked at her with happiness, and kissed her gently, which she smiled into and returned. They parted after a few moments, then his expression became ashamed._

"_I want you too, Helga...but what can we do? Lyle is still your boyfriend. ...Do you love him?"_

"_Arnold, I...." Helga uttered. "Arnold, the one I love is you. I do like like Lyle, and he's treated me so well...I-I don't know if I can do this to him. I know, I know I just said screw him a second ago, but I was caught up in the moment. Arnold...I don't know what to do. I don't want to string you along, either." She held to him tightly, her face buried in his neck._

_Arnold hugged her warmly, stroking her hair and her back. "Helga, it's okay. I-I understand. Listen, if you want time to think about all of this, then take all the time you need, okay? And...well, if you guys do break up, and you want to be with me, I'll gladly come to you."_

"_But...I-I can't make you wait like that!" Helga cried, clutching him tighter. "Arnold what if something happens? What if I fall in love with him? I can't do that to you!" She began sob. "Breaking your heart would KILL me!"_

"_Helga..."_

"_And if I cheat on him, which is exactly what I'm doing right now, ironically...I couldn't do that, either! Lyle is a great guy, and I could never make you and I become a cheat fest! You have to have all of me or none of me! Oh Arnold, my one true love...I don't know what to do!"_

"_Calm down, Helga." Arnold said tenderly, gently lifting her face to meet his gaze. "I know this will be hard for you, and believe me, it's not going to be easy for me, either. But you know what? Think about it, take all the time you need, and then we'll go from there."_

_Sniffling, Helga managed a weak nod. "O-Okay, football head."_

_Arnold smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Okay."_

"_...Arnold?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Kiss me."_

~End of Flashback~

The problem was the uncertainty of what to do with Lyle. Helga hated to have to break up with him, though she knew that it was the right thing to do. Still, she was so confused. Here she was, willing to cheat on him, when he had done nothing but treat her like a Princess, especially in helping with the original plan.

Things were getting way too out of hand. She had to do SOMETHING. But what? She didn't even know now.

"Oh Helga, has anyone ever told you how your eyes shine like two jewels?" Lyle murmured lovingly as he finished his food.

"W-Well, no..." Helga replied. In her dreams and daydreams, Arnold certainly did.

"Well they are. You are a beautiful girl, Helga. You really are. You're the most beautiful girl in the world, and I am so lucky to have you." Lyle said.

Helga felt her heart sink and she sighed, not sure of how to respond to that.

"Helga. I have something very important to ask you."

This didn't sound good.

"Y-Yes?" Helga looked at him hesitantly.

"Helga...this past month, being your friend, and being your boyfriend, from pretend to now for real, it has been the best time of my life. And I realized so much since I've been with you. I love you, you're amazing, inside and out. It may seem soon, but, I know now you are the perfect girl for me. We're meant for each other, and I bet you can see that too. I-I don't want give you up. So Helga..."

Lyle got up from his seat, came around the table beside her chair, got down on one knee, and held a small plastic canister with a Ring Pop inside.

"Beautiful Goddess, Helga G. Pataki, oh love of my life and the centre of my Universe, will you marry me when we get older?"

"WHAT?!?!" Helga screeched, jumping up from her chair, so fast, so hard, that it fell over.

Everyone in the vicinity all stared her, surprised by her sudden outburst as they all stared at her in shock. Then it was quiet. All quiet.

Realizing this, Helga grabbed him by the arm and dragged him outside, feeling utterly humiliated and angry above all else. How could he do that?! They were only twelve! 12! Granted, if Arnold had proposed, she would've said yes without hesitation. Strange, sure, but she would marry him on the spot if she could. Young or not.

"Lyle, what the HELL?!" Helga cried once they were outside. "We're only twelve, you Nimrod! How could you ask me such a thing!?"

"I-Is that a no....?" Lyle smiled sheepishly.

"YES!" Helga yelled. "NO! N-O no! I'm not ready to commit, for crying out loud! So no! I will not."

".....Oh." Lyle drooped. "...So...does this mean it's over?"

"...I don't know." Helga uttered.

He frowned then. "You still love Arnold, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Helga gasped, taking a step back. Had he figured it out? Did he know of their passionate makeout session earlier?

"I knew it." Lyle said before she could answer. And then he grinned. "But that's okay! I understand! You're my girlfriend still, I don't have to worry! Aww, we don't have to get engaged now, schmoopsie-poo! I understand! We'll just wait until we're both ready! But anytime you change your mind!

"Y-Yeah...sure...um, I'm gonna go home." Helga said, and turned to walk off.

"I'll walk you home, Helgie-poo!"

"NO!" Helga screamed, running off.

"Call me!"

Helga growled under her breath as she raced home, wondering what to do of this mess. First things first, she had to call Phoebe. This was NOT looking good. Not at all.

Meanwhile, at the Sunset Arms, Arnold too, was trying to deal with his current dilemma while on the phone with Gerald.

"Say WHAT?! You guys KISSED?!" Gerald exclaimed on the other line.

"W-Well...more than that, actually." Arnold admitted, blushing hard as he tugged at his collar with his free hand. "We...k-kind of made out..."

"Made out?! You and Helga _made out_?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Arnold hissed into the receiver. "...But yes, Helga and I made out. And no, I didn't force her into it. She asked me to kiss her, and I did, and then we...well, got carried away."

"Lemme guess, heat of the moment?"

"Something like that. But I meant every moment of it, Gerald. She even...said she loved me."

"Uh-oh."

"I know, this isn't looking good at all."

"Well man, that's a pretty big mess you got on your hands. You love Helga, and Helga loves you, but she's with Lyle, who loves her, and she's not quite sure about it all...mmmmm mmmm mmmmm. Arnold my man, you're in serious trouble."

Arnold sighed heavily. "I know, Gerald. And thing is, I have no idea what to do. I could never make Helga cheat on Lyle, and she doesn't know if she's ready to break up with him. I would never force her into something she's not ready for, but I can't just back out and ignore her, either. Not after what happened."

"Look man, you just need to ride this out. See what happens, what Helga does, what Lyle does, whatever. Keep things the way they are, then come a good time, hey, maybe you and Helga can properly talk about it. While keeping your tongues OUT of each other's mouths."

"Right. ...Well Gerald, I guess you're right. I guess that's all I can do."

"Glad to help, man. Oh, and Arnold?"

"Yeah?"

"...How was it? Making out with Helga, I mean. I'll bet it was a dream come true."

"Gerald...I won't go into details, but, it was amazing." A dreamy, lovesick smile came over his face.

"Whatever you say, Arnold."


	7. Part 7

"Ohhhhhhh Schmoopsie-poo!"

Helga rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation as the now getting-REALLY-annoying voice called out to her, with that STUPID nickname. She was really, really starting to regret ever having given Lyle a chance. It only made her run into Arnold's arms more and more.

"WHAT?!" Helga growled, swiftly turning around.

"Oh, is my buttercup all angry? Well don't worry, bitsy pookums! I'll make you feel all better!" Lyle grinned.

"Okay, okay, STOP. Stop RIGHT THERE, pal!"

"What seems to be the problem, snuggy-poo?"

"THAT!" Helga said angrily, grabbing his collar with her fist. "Listen, and listen GOOD. One, you will NOT openly declare how much you love me in PUBLIC. At least not without subtleties. Two, you will STOP with those STUPID nicknames you insist on calling me! I HATE them! They affect my stomach more than my heart and make me feel nauseous! I will establish what kind of nicknames are OKAY. Three, we are NOT steady! I may be giving you a chance, but you have to go at my pace too, pal! Four, shut the hell up!"

Lyle cringed, and weakly nodded. "O-Okay, Helga. I understand."

"Good." Helga let him go. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going outside to eat my lunch."

"Y-Yes, dear..."

"And don't call me dear! It makes me feel old!"

"Eep! Y-Yes, Helga! Understood!"

Helga sighed in exasperation and hurried down the hall and around the corner, heading out the door to get to the playground. It was lunchtime at school the following day after the Chez Pierre date fiasco, and of course, most notably, her passionate make out session with Arnold. As she thought of it, a dreamy, lovesick grin came to her face. Man, Arnold was a way better kisser than he had ever given himself credit for! It was AMAZING!

But was that enough? Would it be enough to convince her to dump Lyle and go to her beloved?

She wanted to, God knows she wanted to. But somehow, it just didn't seem quite that simple. Helga sighed once more, realizing the reality of the situation. Why, why, couldn't she make out with Arnold anytime she wanted?

As she glanced around the playground, looking for something to do, she came across Arnold, sitting all by himself on a swing, looking deep in thought about something. She smiled softly and uttered a dreamy sigh as she took in the sight of her beloved. Oh, what had she been thinking? Arnold was her true love! She could never replace him, especially NOT with Lyle. Or anyone! No one could win her heart and make her love more than Arnold had. Especially now, that he loved her too.

Oh screw it. She needed her dose of Arnold NOW.

Helga marched over to the swing set, and shimmied up near Arnold, a flirtatious smirk on her face.

"Hey, football head." She drawled. "How's tricks?"

"Huh? Oh! Helga!" Arnold exclaimed in surprise, and managed a sheepish smile, standing up. "I-I didn't expect to see you out here."

"Oh, you didn't?" Helga said coolly, but smirked at him flirtingly. "And why is that?"

"I thought you'd be with Lyle...or something." Arnold admitted, jealousy evident in his eyes, but he hid it well. "You know, since he's your boyfriend and all."

"Oh, right." Helga realized, and shook her head. "Nah, never mind him. We're just having some space. Listen Arnold, there's something I want to discuss with you. Now, I'm going to go over to the side of the school in the alleyway. You wait here for a good couple of minutes, and then you come to meet me there."

Arnold looked bewildered and curious, but gave a nod. "Oh, sure, Helga. I'll meet you there."

Helga gave a flirtatious smile and poked his nose. "Good. I'll see you there, then."

She walked off, her medium-length blonde hair swaying behind her in the breeze. She had let it down today, upon finding out that Arnold liked it when she wore her hair down. Arnold watched after her with a dreamy, lovesick smile, his eyes half-lidded as he sat back on the swing. He uttered a lovesick sigh, staring at his shoes. At least now he could spend a little alone time with her.

Still, he too wondered where this was all going to go. What was going to happen? Especially between the two of them? All this uncertainty was killing him inside! But, he vowed to wait patiently and stay out of her affairs unless she needed him, and see where it all went. Just as Gerald said. And he was going to do just that.

A couple of minutes had passed, or rather, what seemed like an eternity to him. Arnold decided he'd waited long enough and got up from the swing, looking to make sure no one was paying little to no attention to him. Only Gerald was glancing at him from where he was playing tether ball with Phoebe. He gave his best friend a thumbs up to assure all was well, and Gerald nodded in return before he went back to the game.

Arnold took a breath and went out to where Helga was, on the other side of the school, near the dumpster, but far enough from it to avoid the smell. She was waiting for him against the wall, casually leaning against it. She looked at him and gave a light smirk, beckoning him with her hand.

"About time you showed up. I was beginning to think you bailed out on me, hair boy." Helga quipped.

Arnold chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah. I wouldn't do that to you, Helga."

"Good to know." Helga said, and hooked her arms around his neck.

"H-Helga?" Arnold uttered in surprise, and tried to pull away. No, no. They couldn't do this now. That would be her cheating on Lyle! He may have been jealous of him, but he didn't want Helga to lower herself to cheating! "W-Wait, what are you doing?" His hands came to her upper arms to try to pry her off him.

"I'm sorry." Helga said, and held him closer to her. "But I have to do this, or I will go crazy. Arnold my love, kiss me. Please dear God kiss me."

She was looking down at him with those eyes, those gorgeous shimmering blue eyes of hers, practically begging him. Those eyes, that he knew he could never refuse. Before he could think to stop himself, his lips were on hers in an instant, and his arms moved down around her waist, bringing her closer. Their heated make out session from the day before was coming back full force, and he could remember so clearly, how good it felt to hold her toned but thin body close, the feel of her soft skin beneath his lips, her eager responses, the feel of her hands on his head and her arms around his neck, the feel of her lips against his, her tongue, her mouth, everything.

Helga was a dangerous addiction, she was a pure drug. A drug he knew he had to quit, at least for now, but he could never quit it.

In turn, Helga too, was in pure bliss as they kissed just as passionately as they had done the day before. It was all coming back to her full force, and she was beyond loving it. She was in heaven. Pure heaven. Maybe it was the excitement of forbidden love that was going on between them now, but this whole situation was just amazing, despite everything in between.

Just as he'd always been since she knew him, more so when she kissed him for the first time back in the fourth grade, Arnold was a drug to her. A purely addicting drug she could never quit. Even in her darkest moment of doubting their future, the addiction always came crawling back. She was addicted to him, plain and simple, and try as she may, she could never quit.

After for what seemed like forever, or what was actually just a couple of minutes, the two blondes broke away for air, their noses touching, both of them panting.

"Arnold...." Helga uttered, a smile stretching at her lips. "All of the alcohol in Miriam's cabinet couldn't come close to intoxicating me like your lips do..."

Arnold offered a shaky smile, blushing a little bit. "We shouldn't do this, Helga, it's wrong of us to do this to Lyle...and to both of us."

"I know." Helga sighed, and looked away for a moment. "I really wish I knew what I could do to fix this. I know I should dump Lyle, but it just doesn't seem that simple. I can't explain it, but, I just know somehow there's more to it than that."

His heart sank as he realized what she was saying. "...Do you love him?"

"...What?" Helga looked down at him with surprise.

"I think it's because you love him." Arnold looked away, hurt and heartbreak clear in his eyes. "Do you, Helga?"

Helga paused, taking a moment to think that over. The question was simple, but it was hard to answer. DID she love Lyle? Was that why she seemed so reluctant to break it off with him? It made sense, didn't it? Still, it just didn't seem like the right answer. She liked him, a lot, and he loved her so much, to the point of being willing to commit to her at such an early age.

Wait a minute.

Realization struck her like lightning, and she knew the answer.

"Arnold....no. I don't love him." Helga said, now realizing it. "I admit I like him a lot...when he's not acting like a crazy lovesick jerk, ten times worse than me, that's for sure, but I could never love him. Especially not like I love you." She looked down at her beloved and held him closer. "I could never love anyone else like I love you. I think what happened last night proved it to me."

Arnold, surprised, and relieved, looked at her with bewilderment. "What do you mean, Helga? What happened last night? Did he...did he hurt you?" His voice shook at the idea of that.

"Huh? No! No! Nothing like that." Helga shook her head frantically. "What happened was, after we finished eating...he...he...p-proposed to me. You know, asked me to marry him when we got older."

"WHAT?!?!" Arnold yelled, balking at the idea and jumping back from her as if he'd been shot. "He did what?!"

"I know! That's how I reacted!" Helga said, and grabbed her beloved back to her, stroking his hair absently. "I turned him down, of course. I mean, for one, we're way too young, and two, well, I didn't like him THAT much to commit to him like that! Was he crazy?!" She shook her head. "Nah, no way. Did I mention he used a Ring Pop to propose to me with?"

"A Ring Pop?" Arnold said, incredulous. "...Well, I can see why."

"I also turned him down..." Helga went on, and held him closer to her, his nose mashing into her collarbone. "Because I love you, Arnold. I love you too much. And frankly, I don't regret it!

"You don't?" Arnold managed to pull his head out and looked up at her.

"Doi, love is something you never regret!" Helga exclaimed, and softened a bit. "And, I think I know why I feel I shouldn't break up with him."

"Why?"

"He's crazy in love with me, so much so that he's ready to marry me. Just as how I feel about you." She blushed a bit and continued. "...I guess I latched on to that because I knew how it felt, and that if I pushed him away or broke up with him, it would break his heart. Just as how I'd feel if you told me you didn't love me."

Arnold's grip on her tightened as she said that last bit, and she smiled.

"...I think I understand." Arnold said softly. "He loves you, like you love me, and you know how it would feel to be rejected, so you keep him along so he'll be happy and not be sad, because you know how it would feel if you dumped him."

"That's pretty much it." Helga sighed. "Arnold, I know you think the right thing to do would be to break up with him, but, like I said, it's not that easy."

"I can see why." Arnold nodded. "...So what do we do?"

"Either he has to fall out of love with me on his own, or I have to grow a pair and do the right thing by dumping him." Helga sighed, and lay her head against his, uttering a soft sigh. "Arnold, you're the one I want... I want to be your girlfriend!"

Arnold hugged her tightly, rubbing her back in comfort. "I know, Helga. I want to be your boyfriend, too. But I guess unless things change..."

"I know we shouldn't sneak around, like I figured we'd do if we ever got together, but now... Man, I want to cheat! But I'd never do that, especially not to him."

"I understand, and trust me, I don't like us sneaking around with you cheating on him either. Sure, being with you is always great, but not like this."

"Oh, if it were ethical..." Helga sighed again. "I love you, Arnold..."

Arnold smiled. "I love you too, Helga. ...You know, you're awfully affectionate."

She giggled. "Oh shut up, you yutz."

Unbeknown to them, Lyle had witnessed the entire scene. At least, after they stopped making out. Before they noticed, he slipped away.

--

The rest of the day went by pretty fast. But what was most strange, was Lyle. He seemed quiet, and not at all "crazy in love" like he had been the past few days. It puzzled Helga, but he always claimed all was well, acting sheepish. He was hiding something. She figured as much.

But what?

Helga wanted to find out.

So, after school was out, she grabbed said boy by the arm, despite his protests, and dragged him out to an alleyway near the school, and was ready to interrogate in a way only Helga could.

"Okay Lyle, what the heck is up with you?! This morning you're all ready to woo me like crazy, and then all of a sudden you're all elusive and acting weird!" Helga said. "You better tell me what's going on, bucko!"

Lyle heaved a sigh, and looked her in the eye. "...Helga, I saw you and Arnold earlier today. At the side of the school. You were embracing, and talking about us, and the two of you. I knew you loved him all along. You had no intentions of giving him up, did you?"

Helga took a step back, in absolute shock by his accusation. He had seen them?! She didn't even notice. No no, this was not going well. She had not planned this. She could have denied it, but there was no denying it. He was right on the money.

"Lyle, I...it's not that I don't like you." Helga sighed, looking away. "It's just that... well, you were so madly in love with me, like I'm in love with Arnold. I just didn't have the heart to break it off and make you miserable, because I know how that would feel if Arnold said he didn't love me. I'm so sorry. I-I love Arnold, he loves me too, and I want to be with him. I'm sorry that it had to be this way."

"Helga..." Lyle looked at the ground sadly, and then, he snapped up and grinned. "That's fantastic!"

"Huh!?" Helga jumped as if she'd been shot. "Excuse me?!"

"You heard me." Lyle smiled, his hands behind his back. "I'm glad it all worked out! FINALLY! You guys are together."

"Wait, what?! You're happy for me?! But...aren't you jealous?! Upset?! What the hell!?"

"Of course not! Helga, I'll come clean. All of that stuff I said, about being in love with you and wanting to marry you and all those nicknames....yeesh...." Lyle shook his head. "It was all a trick. I didn't mean any of it! Well, of course, I do like you a lot and I consider you a friend, however."

Helga was stunned. Ultimately relieved, but shocked. She had just been tricked! By Mr. Perfect! This was not boding well at ALL.

"You TRICKED me?!" Helga yelled, and grabbed his sweater with her hands. "How could you do such a thing?! Do you have any idea how much I suffered at not being with my beloved after he said he loved me too!? And what if I DID fall in love with you?! What would you have done then, huh!? You jackass! I can't believe you did that to me! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to dump you!? I figured you were just like me with your feelings of love, but no, you weren't! I can't believe you!"

"H-Helga!" Lyle uttered. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry. But, you're wrong. You would never have fallen in love with me. I know how much you love Arnold. Even when we were together, you still looked at him with those eyes, and I always hear you talking about him with Phoebe. I knew I could do this, to give you and Arnold a push, without you falling for me. Why do you think I acted the way I did? I did it to turn you off. When I figured out Arnold was in love with you, I decided to take things up and make you want to break up with me. Trust me, I would never treat the girl I like that way, it's just too much. I'm sorry about everything, Helga. I really am. I just wanted to help you and Arnold finally get together."

"Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait, wait." Helga said, still holding his sweater. "How did you know Arnold was in love with me?! He just told me through a little note yesterday!"

Lyle gave a sheepish smile. "Well Helga, all the signs were there. I've seen the way he looks at you, the way he gets all lovesick when you're around, the way he stares at you lovingly in class.... I could go on. I always suspected he had a thing for you, but it was less than obvious than how you felt. But anyway, I also overheard him talking to Gerald about it. He was talking about you so much, and not one sentence didn't contain 'love' and 'Helga'. I know he loves you, Helga. And when I found it out, I did everything I could to make you want to break up with me. But, I guess things changed! I didn't expect you guys to go and make out behind my back! But man, that was something!" He grinned.

Helga studied him a moment, and then released him, wiping off her hands. "...Well Lyle, I see what you did there. ...I guess I should be thanking you. But, you should have dumped me beforehand!"

"Please Helga, if I did that, you would have taken longer to tell Arnold you loved him. That's pretty much where the forbidden love came into play."

"I-......oh fine, I guess you're right."

Lyle smiled. "And hey, not like I haven't done so myself. Last week, I told Lila my plan, and that I loved her. And she likes me too, and wanted to give me a chance! But, we decided to wait until this all blew over. So Helga...I'm now setting you free. Arnold is all yours now."

"....Well, fine. I'll let you off the hook this time, bucko." Helga said, turning away.

"But don't EVER do this again!"

He saluted. "Yes Ma'am! Now go find your true love, I'm sure he'd love to walk you home!"

Helga gave a weak smile and nodded. "Right. ...See ya later."

"Bye bye, schmoopsie-poo!" Lyle teased. "Sorry, I had to."

She smirked at him and then left the alleyway. Lyle did as well.

--

"So let me get this straight, it was all one big act?" Arnold confirmed.

"Yep!" Helga nodded. "Can you believe it? He was such a good actor, even with all that over-the-top romancing! I didn't suspect a thing!"

"Neither did I." Arnold agreed. "Even with all that over-the-top stuff, sure it made ME feel weird too, but I sure didn't suspect anything."

"I know! It's weird. Well, I'm just glad it all turned out to be easier than I thought. Still...you know, I'm sorry about everything."

"It's okay, Helga. I completely understand. And hey, it's over now, and we can finally move forward."

"Exactly." Helga took his hand and smiled. "But hey, football head, people are going to start talking and spreading rumours if they see us together all of a sudden. So what say we keep our love under wraps for about a week or two, when everyone either forgets or can see Lyle and I broke up?"

Arnold gave a smile. "I understand, Helga. I guess that's our best bet. Besides, I kind of thing the forbidden love aspect is fun."

She grinned. "Me too. So we'll keep it that way for a while. And hey...you want to come inside?" She smirked a little. "My parents are going to be gone until Sunday. So I have the house to myself."

Blushing a bit, he nodded. "Sure, Helga."

"Heck, let's not stop there! We'll take in a movie, get a pizza, and totally like, hang out!" She imitated a ditzy girl voice.

"That sounds like, totally awesome, girlfriend." Arnold did the same.

They both laughed, and came up to Helga's front stoop. She took out her key and unlocked the door, and they went inside, shutting it behind them. Once inside, Helga grabbed her beloved to her and smirked down at him suggestively.

"I love you, Arnold."

"I-I love you too, Helga."

And once more, they proceeded to make out like crazy, now accompanied by the freedom to be together, but also bound away by the shackles of society. At least for now. Soon, they would express their love freely.

--

Lyle and Lila ended up together, and were one of the cutest couples of P.S. 118.

Helga and Lyle remained to be friends.

Arnold and Helga eventually came out with their relationship about three weeks after Lyle dropped the bomb on her. They too, were one of the hottest couples of P.S. 118.

Lyle joined in the with the gang, and was well-received as before.

No one mentioned the whole scandal being an act, or anything like that. It was all their little secret.

Everything turned out just well.

The End.


End file.
